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exclamation

Used, irrespective of the sex of the person addressed, to express surprise, admiration, delight, etc., or for emphasis.

‘wow, like cosmic, man’

‘Oh, hey man, how's it going? Did you and Lex have a good time last night?’

‘Hey man, I don't have any problem with Jackson, or how Lord of The Rings was filmed.’

‘This is a nice place, man! I can't believe you used to live here.’

‘You got to stop drinking, man!’

‘You see a couple in a restaurant or walking on the street and they appear to be so much in love, so happy with each other and you say, man, I wish I could have that.’

‘‘Man it sure was different back in the ol days,’ says Gilbert.’

Usage

Traditionally, the word man has been used to refer not only to adult males but also to human beings in general, regardless of sex. There is a historical explanation for this: in Old English, the principal sense of man was ‘a human being’, and the words wer and wif were used to refer specifically to ‘a male person’ and ‘a female person’, respectively. Subsequently, man replaced wer as the normal term for ‘a male person’, but at the same time the older sense ‘a human being’ remained in use. In the second half of the 20th century, the generic use of man to refer to ‘human beings in general’ (as in reptiles were here long before man appeared on the earth) became problematic; the use is now often regarded as sexist or old-fashioned. In some contexts, terms such as the human race or humankind may be used instead of man or mankind. Certain fixed phrases and sayings, such as time and tide wait for no man can be easily rephrased (e.g., time and tide wait for no one). Alternatives for other related terms exist as well: the noun manpower, for example, can usually be replaced with staff or crew, and in most cases, the verbal form to man can be expressed as to staff or to operate

Phrases

as — as the next man

As — as the average person.

‘I'm as ambitious as the next man’

‘As an Irishman living in Glasgow for the past 13 years, I'm as guilty as the next man of being nostalgic.’

‘Much has been made of the comfort zone in Scottish rugby which militates against success, and Nicol is as condemnatory as the next man of attitudes which have prevailed among some of the players.’

‘I may not listen to the album too often these days, but I'm as guilty as the next man of singing along when they play the old hits.’

‘I am as loyal as the next man to my chosen team but when they are simply outclassed I am, like most true lovers of the game, prepared to admit it.’

‘I am as paranoid as the next man when it comes to the effects of radiation.’

‘While as ambitious as the next man, Davies genuinely believes he would not have got where he is now without the help of his former boss at Preston.’

‘We live in a lovely flat - it just needs a bit more day-to-day upkeep than it's currently getting, and I'm as guilty as the next man in that department.’

‘Now, I'm as sensitive as the next man and I took her words to heart.’

‘Well, I'm as curious as the next man, so I phoned one of my mates from the Yard.’

‘I am as price-conscious as the next man, so obviously value for money is important, even in pies.’

as one man

With everyone acting together or in agreement.

‘the crowd rose to their feet as one man’

‘Yet what was most remarkable was the experience of seeing all the participants playing together as one man.’

‘The horde reacted as one man, scrambling to their mangy horses and leaving as quickly as possible.’

‘Godwin motioned with his hand, and they got up as one man and followed him across the stone floor and out of the hall.’

be someone's (or the) man

Be the person perfectly suited to a particular requirement or task.

‘if it's war you want, I'm your man’

‘If you were looking for a striker to play down the middle then Alan was your man.’

‘Ladies, if you are looking for Mr. Perfect, Todd is your man.’

‘He has three university degrees under his belt and whether you have a question about money, God or literature, Griffiths is your man.’

‘In short, if you want a champion for a distressed building or threatened institution, Rhys Jones is your man.’

‘If you fancy the idea of walking in Botswana with a group of elephants, then Gavin Ford is your man.’

‘If Westlife ever need a substitute member, John is your man!’

‘Not an easy album to listen to, but when insomnia gets the best of you and you need something gentle but thought-provoking at 3am, Will Oldham is your man.’

‘If we ever needed any ‘unusual pharmaceutical products,’ then he was our man.’

‘If you're into classic sounds, DJ Smoking is your man.’

‘If you need a fine writer and editor, Steve is your man.’

be man enough to do (or for)

Be brave enough to do.

‘he has not been man enough to face up to his responsibilities’

‘I only wanted to show her that there were no hard feelings, that I was man enough to call the past the past and make a fresh start as she had done.’

‘In golf, for example, I can't hit the ball as far as I once did, but you've got to be man enough to accept it.’

‘It sounds simple, but that is also what life's all about - being man enough to admit you made a mistake, accepting the consequences and working hard to make sure it doesn't happen again.’

‘At 20 years of age he was man enough to accept this enormous responsibility and pressure.’

‘But at least he was man enough to realise he was wrong and act accordingly.’

‘You have to be man enough to get back in the game and we didn't do that.’

‘Sheffield's coach Mark Aston was man enough to say afterwards that the best team won.’

‘You know he was man enough to apologize and to admit his mistake.’

‘It could have been all three points for the Lions, had referee Clive Penton not made a bizarre mistake that he was man enough to admit to later.’

‘Brentford manager Wally Downes said: ‘Smith is the best in this division, but I am sure he is man enough to hold his hands up and admit he made mistakes today’.’

every man for himself

proverb Everyone should (or does) look after their own interests rather than considering those of others.

‘in previous student flats she'd shared, it was every man for himself’

‘Around May 22 we were told we have to retreat, that it was every man for himself and we had to make a beeline for the coast.’

‘Make no mistake, once you're in the crush for the ticket gates it's survival of the fittest, every man for himself.’

‘On Wall Street in the 19th century, as in the Wild West, it was every man for himself: market speculation was a showdown where the winners took all.’

‘We are working with the constant threat of one closure after another and it is every man for himself.’

‘‘Back then people were very courteous but nowadays it's every man for himself,’ he said.’

‘There was chaos and it was every man for himself.’

‘There were no staff left, it was every man for himself.’

‘It was every man for himself in conditions like this.’

‘Publicly they stated that their employees came first, but privately it was every man for himself and I was resentful.’

‘Without such a standard we are condemned to live in a largely amoral world in which it is every man for himself and the devil take the hindmost.’

make a man out of someone

(of an experience or person) turn a young man into a mature adult.

‘swimming will make a man out of you’

‘I always thought the U.S. Open made a man out of you more than any other golf tournament.’

‘Being a single father made a man out of me, and I can honestly say I am a better man today and thankful for the experience.’

‘We would go on hikes and we started out with small hikes like 10 miles and ended up doing 30-mile hikes with a pack, they made a man out of you real quick.’

‘But I think every lad in Rochdale should do it because it makes a man out of you and I think a bit of discipline would put a stop to a lot of trouble.’

‘I set sail with the Navy Seals and, let me tell you, they made a man out of me.’

‘According to testimony from the man's wife and sister-in-law, he did this to toughen the boy up, make a man out of him.’

‘He smiled all big and friendly and put his arm around my shoulder and started talking about how great the army was and how it would make a man out of me, but I wasn't having any of it.’

‘I enjoyed my Air Force experience and I suppose the military did make a man out of me.’

‘He told me to go and join the effing Army or the effing rugby club, and that would make a man out of me.’

‘They were really nice and accommodating, knowing that everyone has a different pain tolerance and that getting a tattoo is often the kind of experience that ‘makes a man out of you.’’

man about town

A fashionable male socialite.

‘in a well-cut black suit he looked quite the man about town’

‘For the trendy man about town this season, cable-knit pullovers or cardigans in neutral shades such as greys and browns or navy blue are suggested.’

‘A single man about town should be able to splash out on these things without feeling a moment's guilt or too big a dent in his bank balance.’

‘Fatherhood is changing him: the one-time man about town now talks proudly of how he's mastered the plastic strips on nappies and is allowed to change the baby by himself.’

‘This carefully cultivated image as a man about town however belied the industry which he brought to his office, laying the foundation for his later success as a hard-working and knowledgeable foreign secretary.’

‘He seems to have spent part of his early years in France, and was a man about town in London when his first comedy, The Comical Revenge, or Love in a Tub, was performed in 1664.’

‘The new men about town aspire to be more than just arm candy for the ladies.’

‘Away from the radio studio, Antony Collins looks every part the young, trendy media man about town.’

‘There were no real übertrendy apartment blocks then, so a mews was the must-have address for the man about town who worked hard and played hard.’

‘But, despite his image as a man about town, once he had become seriously involved with Isabel Lambert, he moved with her to a cottage near Thaxted in Essex, where he remained for the last eighteen years of his life.’

‘Mobile in one hand, chilled glass of lager in the other, with the BMW parked outside, he was every considerable inch the man about town.’

‘Their managerial history is built on a solid stretch by Syd King, who was in charge of the club for 30 years man and boy.’

‘I am a smoker, and have been for the past 36 years, man and boy, and have never really made any serious attempt to quit in all that time.’

‘But for John Wilberforce Preston, who has fished the rivers and ponds of Craven man and boy for some 50 years, all is not well in the Aire Valley.’

‘I have worked here man and boy… Not many people can say that these days but perky head porter Mike Fawcett can and does with pride.’

‘I have lived here for more than 70 years - man and boy - and I won't be pushed out.’

‘Rex has been a North End supporter man and boy, and to take the stick of rock analogy, if you chopped him in half he would say ‘Disappointed’ all the way through.’

‘A Labour Party member, man and boy, I am horrified to see so many of my colleagues vote with ignorance and arrogance in equal measure.’

‘Cecil has been working it, seven days a week, for more than 60 years as a hands-on farmer, man and boy.’

‘I have supported that club man and boy for 38 years.’

‘He had been a merchant seaman man and boy, covering some fifty years and he was so accustomed to shouting just to be heard that he couldn't stop doing it now that he'd retired.’

the man in black

informal The referee.

‘I would not put it past the men in black to get things horribly wrong’

the man in the moon

1The imagined likeness of a face seen on the surface of a full moon.

1.1Used to refer to someone regarded as out of touch with real life.

‘a kid with no more idea of what to do than the man in the moon’

‘You don't have any more idea than the man in the moon whether it's accurate and true or not.’

‘The first and most important rule of all is not believing the mischief, the brutally contrived propaganda, which is purveyed with about as much credibility and believability as that emanating from the man in the moon!’

the man in (or on) the street

The average man.

‘he had been his eyes and ears in the community, voiced the opinions of the man in the street’

‘It should be equally appealing to the upper class elite as well as the man on the street.’

‘I can understand the man on the street not understanding the Declaration of Independence, but a Justice on the Supreme Court?’

‘Now the average man on the street is not going to get worked up over what happens to hedge funds.’

‘In his role as editor, Guzzardi tried to put himself in the position of the average man in the street buying and attempting to read the book.’

‘We're starting to have real choice in the software or hardware we use and best of all, it's beginning to come in a price which is more affordable for the average man on the street.’

‘I don't think the average man on the street has any idea how ubiquitous GPS has become.’

‘It may seem like a lot of money to the average man in the street, because it is, but in relative terms, the players can afford to lose that.’

‘Your average man on the street, when asked to comment on the fiasco, didn't care about the bank so long as his or her money was all right.’

‘Thanks to the Arts Council England, buying original works of art has now become a reality for the average man in the street through the council's new scheme Own Art.’

‘This problem has made us seem to lack credibility in the eyes of the ordinary man in the street.’

the man in white

informal An umpire, especially a field umpire.

‘he's constantly on the wrong side of the whistle of the man in white’

‘The umpiring director is strongly backing how the men in white handled the controversial match.’

‘The whole point of the game sometimes appears to be the crowd's quarrel with the man in white.’

‘"That's fine, you keep protecting the men in white even when they stuff up a game of footy."’

‘A physical encounter is expected to keep the men in white tightly controlling what should be a cliffhanger of a match.’

‘Footy fans will be fascinated by the men in white and the things they say out there in the heat of battle.’

‘The men in white were outstanding and the score even threatened to get out of hand.’

‘Players contribute each week to the lowly fee that the men in white receive.’

‘From the umpire's point of view, a more personalised approach is being adopted that includes the men in white visiting change rooms prior to the game and establishing the attitude of the game.’

‘Throughout his career he wasn't shy at giving umpires advice on how to do a better job, but this time his disrespect for the men in white was about to come back and haunt him.’

‘The men in white, quite simply, do not know how to cope with his speed, height, and frame.’

man of the cloth

A clergyman.

‘Zumárraga, as a man of the cloth, had no military or political weapons.’

‘A spirited campaign to stop proposed Sunday flights to the Western Isles is being led not by elderly men of the cloth but by a sharp-suited former army major.’

‘He has taken his vows and is now a man of the cloth.’

‘There were many men of the cloth in Sophiatown, but Huddleston was arguably the most popular.’

‘Gutierrez has not always been a man of the cloth; before entering the priesthood he was a military intelligence operative.’

‘The men of the cloth were in town to attend a four-day conference of the Pontifical Council for Culture, in which the role of the church in preserving culture and heritage across the world was discussed.’

‘Among the assembled cast is former man of the cloth Sandy Lofthouse, retired Canon of Carlisle and vicar of Levens, Helsington and Underbarrow for 17 years until he retired in 1995.’

‘Indeed, he is a patient, forgiving sort of fella, as one would expect of a man of the cloth.’

‘Quite a few of his ancestors had been men of the cloth, and he was raised in the faith by devout parents.’

‘I am saddened that a man of the cloth could write such unfeeling comments.’

The team member who has given the most outstanding performance in a particular game.

‘McClair, who scored the only goal, was named man of the match’

‘Carlton Farrell was man of the match and Hudson kicked six out of seven goals.’

‘The man of the match was Jake Hargreaves for his efforts throughout the game.’

‘The whole team worked hard but Jack Collins was named man of the match for a solid performance at the back.’

‘After each game now the man of the match gets a trophy and bottle of champagne from the sponsor.’

‘It seemed as though every time he played, he either scored or he was a contender for man of the match.’

‘He scored a hat-trick of tries during the game and was named man of the match.’

‘The hard working Sam Dowgill was man of the match and dominated the midfield area.’

‘Shaun Redman was man of the match and there were good displays from Joseph Holt and Ryan Humphreys.’

‘George Meehan was outstanding in defence and Harry Tosney was man of the match.’

‘Well done to the team on their good performance and to man of the match Oliver Sloan.’

man of the moment

A man of importance at a particular time.

‘Rob Deering is comedy's man of the moment, and this year's Edinburgh could be the big one.’

‘Wayne Rooney is undeniably THE man of the moment.’

‘There are quite a few good strikers around in the Premiership but he is the man in form and the man of the moment.’

‘When the television cameras were turned off she pulled out a small camera and asked to be photographed with the man of the moment.’

‘James seems to be very much the man of the moment.’

‘For now, though, Forsyth is the Scottish man of the moment.’

‘Clarke is not ruling out a future career in management although he's more than happy to continue learning his trade at the feet of the man of the moment in European football.’

‘He's the man of the moment and rapidly emerging as the darling of Irish racegoers.’

‘It was close to 10.30 pm when the man of the moment, Jai, came on stage.’

‘Another Lancastrian, Ronnie Irani, may be the man of the moment but the Essex captain has a long way to go to rival Freddie's status as England's number one all-rounder.’

man of straw

1A person regarded as having no substance or integrity.

‘a leader who was once derided as a man of straw’

‘Some internet operators offer dirt-cheap contracts, but can be men of straw.’

‘The Chief Minister's problem is that some of his advisers are men of straw.’

‘As a hack myself, I like nothing better than seeing pompous and powerful politicians being exposed as men of straw.’

‘These are men of straw of whom no trace will be found after a few years.’

‘A leader who was once derided as a man of straw has acquired a new certainty, which derives in large measure from his religious beliefs.’

‘My accusers will be men of straw and I will not have the financial ability to pursue a claim for malicious prosecution.’

‘Murray does demonstrate that the men of straw have failed to silence him, for which he deserves much praise.’

2A person undertaking a financial commitment without adequate means.

‘Some of the borrowing was by companies to whom loans should never have been contemplated, on apparently over-valued property, and where guarantors turned out to be men of straw.’

‘The trial judge found that there was overwhelming evidence that the husband was a man of straw with no financial capacity to conduct the litigation.’

‘He was allegedly being used to fight him politically, depicting him as a man of straw who could not pay rent.’

‘Unless the claimant is seeking an injunction, it is a profitless exercise to sue a man of straw since the remedy will be empty and the claimant left to meet his own legal costs.’

the man on the Clapham omnibus

The average man, especially with regard to his opinions.

‘his was not a voice in the wilderness; he was speaking for the man on the Clapham omnibus’

‘Yes, the man on the Clapham omnibus may have faith in national sovereignty, but his faith is faltering.’

‘The man on the Clapham omnibus was heading for Epsom yesterday, along with about half the population of London.’

‘We must ask ourselves what the man on the Clapham omnibus would think.’

‘The man on the Clapham omnibus would probably have liked to have seen me hung, drawn and quartered, with my…head stuck on a pike for public edification.’

‘If you ask the man on the Clapham omnibus, or the man on the average Great Western train, he will typically think that things are getting better.’

‘He believed that the man on the Clapham omnibus would regard it as ‘wholly anomalous and unfair’ for a cohabiting ex wife in Mrs K's position to continue to receive income from her former husband indefinitely.’

man's best friend

An affectionate or approving way of referring to dogs.

‘a collection of photographs of man's best friend’

‘Everyone knows that dogs are affectionate and loyal - they're not called man's best friend for nothing!’

‘Humans share three-quarters of their genes with man's best friend, the first genetic blueprint of the domestic dog revealed yesterday.’

‘Of course, no luxury camping trip would be complete without catering to man's best friend.’

‘Dogs have been trained to sniff out prey, drugs and even explosives - but new research reveals that man's best friend can also detect cancer.’

‘A new genetic analysis of man's best friend could help scientists explain why a border collie has knack for herding or why poodles sport a curly coat.’

‘We have many years' experience letting holiday cottages and have found man's best friend and his family make the best guests.’

‘In 1987, researchers led by Dennis F. Lawler at the Purina Pet Institute in St. Louis began a study of man's best friend.’

‘This year, they were taking a lenient attitude to those who turned up with pooch in tow - much to the annoyance of those who had read about the ban in the Craven Herald and had left man's best friend at home.’

‘But a recent study on elderly nursing home patients now offers scientific support that brief weekly visits from man's best friend can have a positive therapeutic impact.’

‘A new exhibit at the Norton Museum of Art examines the role of man's best friend in the history of photography.’

a man's man

A man who is more popular and at ease with other men than with women.

‘he looks offended when I tell him he is perceived as a man's man’

‘He's a man's man with a notoriously robust attitude to women.’

‘Joe was practical, a man's man; friendly in a blustering sort of way and always happy.’

2Denoting a defensive tactic in soccer or other sport in which each player is responsible for marking one opponent.

‘the best man-to-man marker in the game’

‘Concentrate on dribbling, passing, shooting and playing man to man defense.’

‘I am sure that if you see TV and watch other matches you will see a lot of goals scored from set-pieces, corners and free-kicks against teams who mark man to man.’

‘The game petered out into its traditional pattern of man-to-man marking.’

‘Our man to man marking has improved and the defence is compact.’

‘One of the biggest keys to a good man to man defensive scheme is what is called player recognition.’

men in (grey) suits

Powerful men within an organization who exercise their authority anonymously.

‘the prime minister was removed from Ten Downing Street by men in grey suits’

‘But who says economic policy is the sole domain of dull men in suits?’

‘The men in grey suits are people who have a lot of power in business or politics, but aren't well-known or charismatic.’

‘If Bolivian farmers had been invited to the meeting, they might have been able to explain to the men in suits what this really means.’

‘Next, just in case you think the World Cup is mainly about politics, controversy and men in gray suits, we've decided to turn our attention to the fun side of cricket.’

‘This could be a victory against the men in grey suits at the top of football.’

‘These transcripts were of her conversations with the men in suits.’

‘Some of the party's most senior figures - the so-called men in grey suits - will this week canvass support among parliamentary colleagues and grass-roots activists.’

‘It's one of the quirks of management - victory last year doesn't mean victory this year, and there's no such thing as loyalty from overweight men in suits.’

‘It was, and is his strongly held belief that artists should be allowed to develop their music organically with as little interference as possible from the men in suits.’

‘No3 It seems to me that the so called men in grey suits are succeeding in what they set out to do from day one, stab him in the back and twist it afterwards.’

my (or my good or my dear) man

dated A patronizing form of address to a man.

‘come off it, my man, who d'you think you're talking to?’

‘I'm afraid, my dear man, you are no longer needed.’

‘Well my good man, if we follow your logic it seems like what you are saying is that the ideal form of society is anarchy.’

‘Now see here, my good man, if we send these fellows back, will you promise not to be beastly to them?’

‘You see my dear man, I've been a step ahead of you the whole time.’

‘Now, now my good man, this is no time for making enemies.’

separate (or sort out) the men from the boys

informal Show or prove which people in a group are truly competent, brave, or mature.

‘this match will separate the men from the boys’

‘Such experiences are what separate the men from the boys.’

‘The rock-hard desert terrain encountered by riders at the Alpine quarry soon sorted out the men from the boys and many competitors didn't make it to the end of the two-hour race.’

‘More than any other, a tour of Australia separates the men from the boys.’

‘This is the part of the competition that separates the men from the boys.’

‘This is a hole for those with nerves of steel, and will truly sort out the men from the boys in the Ryder Cup.’

‘This two mile Derby consists of four circuits of the track and is a race where stamina, strength and speed to the finish separate the men from the boys and only the fittest and most highly trained will succeed.’

‘Lets make no bones about it; this is a hard race and probably sorts out the men from the boys.’

‘Believe me 5 years in the Army and then the Navy soon separated the men from the boys.’

‘I'm sure it would be absolutely horrible in real life, but trying to survive alone on a desert island has be the ultimate test - it would definitely separate the men from the boys and I think I'd end up being a complete wimp.’

‘Determination separates the men from the boys and is especially important in bodybuilding.’

to a man

Without exception.

‘to a man, we all took a keen interest in the business’

‘The orchestra, to a man, played terrifically - the best I have heard it yet.’

‘I went round a number of pits explaining the situation and they backed us to a man.’

‘Automatons to a man, they seem to be quite unable to step outside the stock responses.’

‘In a game where it was a pity to see a loser the Comer boys can feel proud of their performance to a man.’

‘The team had played to its full potential by playing outstanding football to a man.’

‘Our group, to a man, were extremely well behaved.’

‘We had, to a man, missed the greatest event in the history of football, ever.’

‘Rocket fanatics to a man, they rose to their feet and cheered.’

with no exceptions, without exception, bar none, one and all, everyone, each and every one, unanimously, as one